Dressing with kick for Haussner's fan

RECIPE FINDER

Lois Barnes of Joppa requested a recipe for the house dressing served at Haussner's restaurant, which has closed. "Hope someone who knows that recipe will respond," she wrote.

Joyce Corriggio of Aberdeen responded. "Throughout my childhood, we dined at Haussner's restaurant every Saturday evening after a day of shopping ... on Howard St. In the early days, Haussner's served a small complimentary salad of mixed vegetables and hominy marinated in their vinegar dressing. Of course, the same dressing went over cucumber salad.

"My friends and I chose the Wednesday before it was to close to have our farewell lunch. In fact, it closed that day, ahead of schedule! We have used the salad dressing recipe for over 20 years. It's very simple. I add 1 tablespoon of pickling spices, loose. Strain before serving and return the spices to the main jar. The pungency increases with time. Enjoy!"

Sweet-and-Sour Dressing

Makes 3 cups

2 cups sugar

2 cups white vinegar

1 teaspoon (or more, to taste) pickling spices tied in cheesecloth

Place ingredients in a medium saucepan and boil until sugar melts and mixture is translucent again, about 5 minutes. Cool and transfer to a glass jar and refrigerate.

Tester Laura Reiley's comments: "The dressing will thicken when it's cooled. It is sweet and sour with a little spicy kick from the pickling spices, and it will last indefinitely in the refrigerator. If you want it a little mellower, I would suggest whisking in 1/2 cup light olive oil once the mixture has cooled."

Recipe requests

Betty Kimcheloe of Kelso, Wash., wants to make some strawberry ice cream using frozen strawberries. "I certainly would appreciate that."

Peggy Colburn of Ellicott City wrote; "Please help those of us who lived in Northeast Baltimore in the '40s and '50s to locate the recipe for Haubert's Buttercake. This German-style bakery located on E. Monument and Port streets had people lined up around the block on Sundays after church to buy their buttercake. It was a simple-looking cake with pools of butter on top of a doughy crust. I've searched for it for years. Maybe someone with knowledge of Haubert's could provide this."

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